HUMMINGBIRD WARS

It was the biggest spider I've seen
in years. The orb was at least
three feet by three feet.
It spanned from the patio railing
up to the roof totally covering
a triple planter and the front of
the hummingbird feeder.
I wish I took a picture.
The orb was perfect and
beautiful.

Although the chill of fall has
started for most this is
Southern California and it is still
summer. I was sitting on
the patio having my morning
jolt of caffiene before going out.

One by one the hummingbirds approached
the feeder. Although it is normal for them to do this,
none would fly around the web to reach the feeder
from the other side. The would just keep
buzzing back and forth in front
of the feeder as if they were intimidated
by the size of the spider.

When I was a kid I remember seeing a
large spider snare a small mouse in it's web.
So I guess seeing a spider almost
their size the hummingbirds were afraid
of becoming snared in the web?

I have never seen hummingbirds
cooperate in anything. In fact they seem
to take great joy in constant attempts to
intimidate each other. Especially
for exclusive rights to the feeder.

Then two hummingbirds started to buzz
in front of the web. The male actually
appeared to be buzzing a fraction of an
inch from the spider as if to try to
chase it off. But the spider held it's
ground in the center of the web.

What happened next was totally unexpected.
Together the two hummingbirds
started to take the supports for the
web in their long beaks then flying backwards
to tug at them. First one of the webs attaching
the web to the railing broke partially
collapsing the web. The spider
held it's ground.

The hummingbirds continued to tug
at the web until it totally collapsed and
the spider ran off into the plants.

As soon the as web was collapsed
the male hummingbird chased off the
female to use the feeder first.
Back to normal nasty bird hummingbird
behavior.

Maybe you find this little story rather
boring. But for me these are
the little things in nature that make
it so exciting and interesting.

LIMITED TIME......

THESE ARE THE PLACES
WHERE I BECOME SO TOTALLY
IMMERSED IT THE
MOMENT
THERE IS NO ROOM FOR THINKING
I JUST AM
(Beach in Northern Oregon)


Limited Time:

I live in an apartment built on the side
of a mountain. I am on the 2nd floor
and my patio faces a retaining wall
so that I am eye-level with the ground
about 10 feet away.

Living among the trees and flowers
on the side of the hill was a brown
salamander. I've been watching it
go about it's life for the past 6 months.
It scurries up and down the shrubbery,
monitors a few ant hills and blooming
flowers looking for insects to dine on.
It is always on the look out for the pair
of red hawks who would find it a tasty
snack. It was as if it had it's own piece
of paradise and it's life meant only for
the pure joy of existence. Sunning on
top of the wall, doing those funny push ups
that salamanders do, it seems to have
the perfect life.

Yesterday I was relaxing on the patio
watching a yellow butterfly coast on the
breeze, the hummingbirds intimidating
each other for exclusive rights to the feeder,
and the salamander streaking across the
space between bushes.

Then out of nowhere appeared a scruffy
black and white house cat. I guess the
salamander did not realize this too was a
predator. In a flash the cat pounced and
ran off with the salamander in it's mouth.

And yet, another reminder that our time
on earth is not permanent.

Presently the children of my neighbor, Mary,
are clearing out her apartment.
She died in her sleep Wednesday morning.

Mary was the nicest, sweetest neighbor
you could imagine. She was the neighbor who
brought me chicken soup and home
made cookies after my surgery and after Art died.
She said I needed comfort food.

Mary did this for everyone in the building.
She was a friend to all as well as sharing
her love of life and joy with living no
matter what her age and maladies did
to slow her down. I never asked Mary her
age. I assume she was in her mid 80's.

And now as her children pack up her belongings
it is as if they are packing up her life.
Soon the apartment will be occupied by a
new tenant and it will appear as if
Mary never existed.

Mary is gone from existence here on this earth
but the spark of her life will forever burn
somewhere in the universe.
She will never be gone from the memories
of her family and friends.
Mary was a lady who made a difference
in every life she touched.

I shall choose a star and name it Mary Caldwell.

HAPPY
BIRTHDAY
DIVA
EVA

Now the secret is out....
How at age 39 could I possibly
have children older
than I am?

Well, here ya go....
This is Eva as she emerged
from my egg.
Like any good mother
hen I was there keeping a
watch over my clutch of "Egg".
Tee Hee

I love ya "GOOD DAUGHTER"

LIFE & SHADOWS LEFT BEHIND

And sometimes when we touch
The honesty's too much
And I have to close my eyes and hide
I want to hold you 'till I die
'Till we both break down and cry
I want to hold you 'till
The fear in me subsides.


When was the last time I heard that song?
And why was it played that day? Art must
have been listening to the radio too. As
he came through the door to me I was on
my way to him.

We clung to each other as if we were
giving the other our life. We did not
speak, we did not move. Our embrace
was so powerful and emotions so
strong that we burned a permanent
hole in time and space.

We said good bye that day.

We never again discussed the hope
that a new treatment would stop his
cancer. The first surgery three
years ago. A year later two more
surgeries. Then two rounds of
kemo and endless blood
transfusions. Finally two series
of external beam radiation.
No longer to kill the cancer but
just to ease the pain.

The last trip for scans to show
where the cancer was spreading
was the first time I saw Art visibly
upset. He could no longer walk
more than a few steps and needed
a wheel chair to get to and from
the car. Two days later he went
back to the hospital.

I stayed with him those five days.
The last two he was on such strong
pain killers he was unresponsive.

I had stepped out of the room for
a moment to ask the nurse a
question and I heard Art sigh
heavily. I ran back hoping he
was again conscious. Art's
breathing kept slowing and
then stopped. I called the nurse
to note the time of death. She
said not yet, his heart was still
beating. It was exactly 2:30pm.

I placed my fingers on his neck
to feel his pulse in the carotid artery.
It was strong and did not slow at
all for 15 minutes. Then gradually
slowed and then stopped at 3:10pm.
His heart kept beating for over a
half hour... as if he did not want
to take his heart away from me.

That moment will cast a shadow on
me forever.

Like I said.... this would be a difficult
blog to post.... because this is the way
it needed to be said.

The picture is Art and I at Bryce Canyon.
The sun was behind us casting our
shadows on the wall on the other side
of the canyon. You can't tell in the
picture but our shadows were at least
40 or 50 feet high. We were giants!

The song by Dan Hill.

,,,,,AND IT'S ONLY WEDNESDAY!

OH MY, OUNCH, YEOW, UGH,
PUFF PUFF, PANT PANT.....

Monday went back to Curves.
Hardly made it around all the
machines one time. It's the truth,
especially with old people...
USE IT OR LOOSE IT!

Then to complete the day I paddled
around in the pool for a half hour.
No swimming .... it's a kidney shaped
pool about 25' long.... two or three
swim strokes .....you have do water
aerobics... which makes a person
look like a drowning spazzz.

Tuesday I went to Weight Watchers and
after downing the entire container of
chocolate chip ice cream I didn't gain.
I got a notice from AIM to download a
"fix" to connect to ICQ. Good thing,
my computer is such an antique the
new ICQ download wouldn't work.

While wasting the rest of the day
waiting for the AC repair man
I made a sun dress for a daughter.
So today after 6 months and 19 service
calls my AC is FINALLY working.
Yes.... 6 months/19 service calls!

I finally threatened my land lord I was
calling Turko Files (a TV news segment
that exposes rip offs, bad landlords, etc.)
So what did they say? They would send
a professional. PROFESSIONAL?
WHO THE HECK WAS HERE THE
FIRST 19 CALLS... BOZO THE
CLOWN? Well, that's quite possible,
last Friday the guy tried to tell me the
AC wouldn't work unless I set it for
20 degrees colder than I wanted
the temp to be in the apartment.
So if I wanted it to be 75 I had to
set it for 55. WHAT?

And today, Wednesday, I went back to
Curves again, worked out for over a
half hour before my legs became
rubberized, then went to Costco and
picked up a new bottle of Happy Pills.
Diva take note! And last... I did my
spazz act in the pool and got some
vitamin D.

It's only Wednesday and I've gotten
my lazy rump back to working out,
doing water aerobics, working on my
tan and have an AC that actually cools.
I haven't gained any weight. I have ICQ
and can chat with my daughters again.
And I have a new supply of happy pills.

LIFE IS GOOD

Hmmm, at the end of my 1st blog
I said the next one would be about
Art not being here anymore.
Maybe the next blog? It's a
tough story to tell.

"BABY" AND ME

This is Baby. The best car
I ever owned. And I kept
her longer than any car.

She was born in Hiroshima
April 1, 1998 and became
my "Baby" April 27, 1998.

She had two seats.. pilot
and co-pilot. 5 speeds forward.
She loved mountains roads
like S6 up Palomar Mtn.
(5000 ft). Oh my how she
could hug those curves!
Poetry in motion.

On the east coast she took
me from Montreal to Miami.
Then across the US of A.
On the west coast from
Canada to Baja. If there
was something I wanted
to see in the Northwest
or Southwest Baby took
me there.

But she was 11 years old.
Showing and feeling her age.
I know that engine light
was her breaking heart.
And in August 2008 I
replaced her.

SHOULD I BUY THIS?

Not such a good pic of me but don't cha
love this car? We were on a cruise and
found this lovely vehicle in Juneau.
Weather in Ak that week was supposedly
"hot" at 55 degrees. Here in SoCal that's
winter weather. Juneau natives were out
strolling around in shorts and t-shirts.
There were actually kids swimming in
the bay with ice still floating around.
I have never been in the Pacific Ocean
unless I was in Hawaii or the bottom of
the Baja.... weather wimp that I am.

Never pass up an opportunity to go to
Alaska... whether driving or cruising.
Absolute pristine beauty... well except
for the towns and cities. The day we
cruised up Glacier Bay we were the
only ship there and the forest ranger
took us extra close to the largest
glacier. Listening to it crack, groan
and explode and seeing pieces break
off (calve?), crashing into the bay and
causing 10 foot high waves was awesome.
I was amazed at the size. We were
on a large cruise ship and the glacier
towered above us and was at least
a mile wide. I am glad I witnessed
this before global warming melts
it all. A most memorable trip.